Heart Palpitations & Pregnancy

This is one of those (apparently common enough) pregnancy "things" nobody really mentions in the "common pregnancy symptoms" lists that you find all over google!  I never saw it and I googled a lot.  So I'LL tell you about it. :P

This refers to rapid or skipped heart beats and apparently it's quite common in pregnancy.  Unless you have a pre-existing heart condition, heart palpitations are usually not really something to worry about, but just to be safe DO mention it to your doc and ask them to check it out if you're worried about it.

You'll know you're having heart palpitations when you get a feeling like your heart skips a beat and then gives a big thud and then carries on as normal.  Well chances are good that if you're pregnant and this is the first time you experience this not-at-all-frightening (pffft) heart experience, then you can possibly expect to get more of them soon.

Another way you can experience heart palpitations is when it feels like your heart is racing and pounding in your chest for no reason - in fact you usually notice it most easily when you've just become comfy on the couch or are just about ready to doze off - ie when you're being calm and peaceful and relaxed.  But it feels sorta like you've just done some sort of vigorous exercise before lying down.  And you'll probably find it hard or impossible to snooze or take a nap while this is going on.

Since I've experienced a couple of skipped heart beats here and there in my life before pregnancy, I didn't immediately think that I was dying because I knew what it was and that it was harmless in my case since I have no heart condition.  For me it started during the 14th week of pregnancy and carried on until somewhere around the 18th week, and it felt like it was often getting worse and more frequent as the weeks went by.  And that's when I started getting worried, because sometimes I'd have a pounding heart beat combined with frequent skipped beats continuously for hours at a time.  Then it started tapering off again and now, at just over 21 weeks, it mostly seems to have disappeared.

I had no idea it was a pregnancy thing, so I just googled irregular heart beats to see what I could find out about it, and that's when I by accident saw an article about heart palpitations during pregnancy.  It seems to be caused by your crazy pregnancy hormones and the fact that you have an increased amount of blood to pump around and so your heart is working a little harder.  I mentioned it to my doc anyway and he also confirmed it was normal and nothing to worry about.  But then he said it usually only happens when you lie down, and then I was worried all over again because MINE were there whether I was lying down or sitting up.  But I rode it out because I didn't have any other symptoms like dizziness or lightheadedness or pain etc, so I was hoping for the best, and slowly they started to get less and less and now I don't know when last I've actually noticed that I had one.

SO!  If they don't bother you and you have no other symptoms and your doc has cleared that you're healthy, don't worry about 'em!  They're just a temporary annoyance.  Bottom line is, they're not harmful to you or baby.  :)